Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
As Wrestlemania week heats up the scorching hot desert in Las Vegas, few events are generating as much anticipation—or perhaps even emotional gravity among true diehard fans—as what’s scheduled to headline Joey Janela’s Spring Break tomorrow ight. In what’s being promoted as his final match, Sabu—the “homicidal, suicidal, genocidal” icon of ECW fame, one of the names that placed that promotion on the map of infamy forever, will step into the ring for what has been promised to be one last time.
His opponent: Joey Janela, the man whose very name is synonymous with this chaotic annual showcase of independent wrestling.
The bout, a no-rope barbed wire match, isn’t just a spectacle. For Janela, it’s a personal mission to give Sabu the sendoff he believes the legend has long deserved.
“I think anybody who cared about professional wrestling in the mid-1990s was enamored in some way by Sabu,” Janela told PWInsiderElite.com. “He doesn’t get his flowers. He never made the money he deserved. I don’t think the current generation really understands how much of what happens in wrestling today is built on what he created.”
Though Janela has made his name by taking wild risks in the ring and redefining what it means to be a true indie maverick, this match strikes a deeper chord. It’s a chance to rewrite history—and to show growth.
“I’m not the same guy I was back then. I’m sober now,” Janela revealed. “No drinking, no pills, no nothing. I stopped all that. I had to. I had moments where I didn’t know if I’d make it. But now, I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. Wrestling’s too important to me.”
Janela and Sabu share a complicated history. The two wrestled nearly a decade ago in what Janela considers one of the most disappointing moments of his career.
“There’s a documentary on YouTube called Please Don’t Die—it follows me into that match with Sabu,” Janela said. “At the time, he wasn’t in great shape. His hips were messed up. Maybe he was on something—I don’t know. The match went terribly. I remember thinking, ‘Never meet your idols.’ It crushed me.”
The match haunted Janela for years. “It was everything I ever dreamed of—and it was a disaster. That feeling stuck with me.”
But time and life brought the two back together.
“We’ve got mutual friends in Vegas, and after his wife Melissa passed, I started spending more time around him. That changed everything. He saw that I wasn’t just some mark—I was someone who truly respected him, who built a career living on the edge he helped create.”
Today, Janela sees this match as something redemptive—for both of them.
“This is about closure. For me, for him, for anyone who ever screamed their lungs out at an ECW show. We’re going to make this one count.”
And he's doing it despite a serious injury.
“I tore my bicep. It’s been rough. But I had it fixed because I didn’t want long-term problems,” Janela explained. “I don’t have insurance. No GoFundMe. Just grit. I make my living from indie wrestling dates. That’s it. So I needed to get back. Crowbar’s been helping with rehab—he’s gotten me as close to 100% as I can be.”
Janela doesn’t expect tomorrow to be an easy night in the ring—but he’s never looked for the easy road. For him, barbed wire or not, this is about something more than violence or headlines.
“I’m in a different place now. I’m clear. I’m healthy. I’m grateful,” he said. “This match is going to hurt—but it’s supposed to. Saying goodbye should matter.”
As for stepping into one of wrestling’s most dangerous environments—no ropes, just barbed wire—Janela is clear-eyed about the risks and the symbolism.
“People still don’t get deathmatch wrestling,” he said. “They think it’s just blood and glass, but it’s not. It’s art. It’s storytelling. It’s pain with purpose. Guys like Sabu made it mean something. So if I have to bleed to help him close the chapter the right way, I’ll bleed.”
But Spring Break isn’t just about Janela and Sabu. As always, it’s a wild, unpredictable variety show that pulls together the weird, the wild, and the wonderful from all corners of the wrestling world. For Janela, the chaotic spirit of Spring Break is as vital as ever.
“This show is the heart of indie wrestling during Mania Week. You want technical matches? We got 'em. You want absurdity? You’ll get that too. It’s a celebration of wrestling in its purest, most unfiltered form.”
And with Sabu taking his final bow, this year’s Spring Break promises to be the most emotional—and most explosive—yet.
Joey Janela vs. Sabu (No Rope Barbed Wire Match) headlines Joey Janela’s Spring Break, streaming live Friday during WrestleMania Week on TrillerTV+.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
